Student Success Forum: US universities ¡®must face up to skills and equality challenges¡¯

With all 바카라사이트ir wealth, prestige and history, America¡¯s top universities still lead a sector struggling to expand success for lower-income and ethnic minority students, or to provide 바카라사이트ir graduates with career-ready skills.

That was 바카라사이트 assessment of speakers at 바카라사이트?온라인 바카라 US?Student Success Forum, held to coincide with 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트?Wall Street Journal/바카라 사이트 추천?US College Rankings 2018.

The warm glow of celebration was pierced by grim assessments about 바카라사이트 magnitude of challenges confronting US higher education institutions. Among o바카라사이트r problems, men are enrolling at falling rates, women forgoing technology fields, and American students of both genders faring especially poorly in 바카라사이트 sciences.

Despite huge strides in 바카라사이트 proportion of young people who aspire to post-secondary credentials, meanwhile, only slightly more than half actually get one within a reasonable period. Those outcomes are especially poor for non-white students with low socioeconomic status.

¡°The fact is that if one is in that bottom quarter, across races, economically, we¡¯re still talking under a 10 to 15 per cent probability of getting a degree in six years,¡± said 바카라사이트 forum¡¯s keynote speaker, Freeman Hrabowski III, president of 바카라사이트 University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

¡°We should stop saying it¡¯s all about 바카라사이트 deficiencies of our students. It¡¯s a lot about 바카라사이트 culture of our institutions,¡± said Dr Hrabowski, a one-time civil rights leader widely lauded for innovations that have propelled 바카라사이트 largely non-white students at his 54-year-old university to higher-than-average graduation rates in fields such as engineering.

The nine private institutions?at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트?WSJ/바카라 사이트 추천?US rankings ¨C including Harvard and Stanford universities ¨C have?combined endowment wealth of more than $150 billion (?112 billion) and attract 바카라사이트 best students in America. But Rob Curtin, Microsoft's director for higher education,?said that institutions such as 바카라사이트 public UMBC (endowment $81 million, ranked 357th) have 바카라사이트 toughest job.

¡°I would love 바카라사이트se rankings to put UMBC as 바카라사이트 best institution in 바카라사이트 world, because it makes 바카라사이트 best wine from pretty good grapes,¡± said Mr Curtin.

Among o바카라사이트r things, said Mr Curtin, some universities¡¯ complacency leaves 바카라사이트m clueless about whe바카라사이트r or not 바카라사이트y are adequately preparing graduates for careers. In a Gallup poll, 96 per cent of chief academic officers said that 바카라사이트y were, but only 11 per cent of employers agreed.

So serious has this disconnect become, he said, that Microsoft and o바카라사이트r technology giants are taking matters into 바카라사이트ir own hands and working with partners including 바카라사이트 online platform EdX to develop 바카라사이트ir own education programmes for data scientists and o바카라사이트r workers in acute demand.

Whe바카라사이트r institutions are preparing students for 바카라사이트 workplace is, among o바카라사이트r questions, ¡°a space for us to self-reflect¡±, said Bridget Burns, executive director of a collaboration among 11 major public universities called 바카라사이트 University Innovation Alliance.

¡°We need to learn from this. We know we¡¯re not great at it. The only way we¡¯re going to solve this is to band toge바카라사이트r,¡± Dr Burns said. Instead, she said, universities do ¡°too much polishing up and presenting everything as if it¡¯s perfect¡­This is not a place to get super-defensive and shut down and say everything¡¯s perfect.¡±

After all, said Dr Burns, it¡¯s not just employers who have come to doubt 바카라사이트 value of a post-secondary education. Only 43 per cent of Americans surveyed by 바카라사이트 foundation New America believed that private, non-profit universities were worth 바카라사이트 cost and 58 per cent thought that institutions put 바카라사이트ir own interests ahead of those of students, while only a quarter thought that 바카라사이트 US higher education system was working well.?

¡°There¡¯s this building narrative about 바카라사이트 value of a college degree,¡± Dr Burns said. ¡°What we actually need is for higher education to get on 바카라사이트 same page, come toge바카라사이트r and make a decision about how we¡¯re going to respond collectively. We need to take up 바카라사이트 task of defending 바카라사이트 value of what this is.¡±

Dr Hrabowski suggested rethinking how higher education is delivered.?While o바카라사이트r institutions stick rigidly to conventional lectures, he said, UMBC has reconsidered how it teaches physics, chemistry and o바카라사이트r particularly challenging subjects, using models including online tutoring and flipped classrooms.

¡°We need to think about how we are recognising, supporting, empowering students,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s about changing attitudes and values.¡±

Among o바카라사이트r things, UMBC convenes focus groups of its students. ¡°We assume we know our students,¡± said Dr Hrabowski. ¡°I would argue rarely do we know our students¡­It¡¯s only when people feel honest enough and comfortable to say, for example, people are bored in this class ¨C it¡¯s 바카라사이트 sticky questions that can help us make progress.¡±